1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical instruments for use in performing human spinal surgery, and more particularly to surgical instruments for the application of bone wax to the raw, bleeding, bony surfaces of the spine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Surgery of the spine generally involves the cutting and removal of at least some bone. Bone has a hard cortical casing and a cancellous intersubstance, frequently referred to as bone marrow. As would be expected, the bone marrow is highly vascular and tends to bleed when cut. Such bleeding is frequently abated during surgery by the use of a substance called bone wax.
Bone wax is a commercially available substance which seals the open pores of the exposed marrow bone. However, because the bleeding bone is located within the depths of the wound it is generally necessary to employ a surgical instrument to apply the bone wax to the bony surface. At present, everything from the surgeon's finger, to a rolled up piece of fabric, to the use of any of a large variety of dissectors, dental tools, and other assorted instruments, are used in an attempt to apply wax to the affected area. However, because these instruments are not specifically designed for this purpose they tend to be crude and inaccurate in their ability to effectively and easily apply wax to the bleeding surface without causing further damage.
Furthermore, the previously available instruments are ineffective in transporting the bone wax to the appropriate site and because of the lack of conformity between the instrument's shape and the shape of the bone to which the bone wax should be applied, the bone ends up only partially waxed and most of the bone wax itself ends up falling within the spinal canal. Bone wax in the spinal canal can act as a foreign body and elicit an inflammatory reaction which would be injurious to the patient.